The backstage of classical or non classical "Vintage Port declaration":
The IVDP - Port Wine Institute controls and approves all the types of Port Wine released to the market. Each time that our company wants to bottle a different blend of any type of Port, samples need to be submited to both IVDP´s chemical analysis and blind tastings.
If all is according to what was planned, then we receive an approbation to bottle (ex. 4000 liters of Rosé Port).
Although for Vintage Port, the IVDP administers supplementary actions, being the Vintage the "king" (the highest quality) of Port wine.
The period that goes from January till June of the second year after the harvest, is when all the Houses / Port Companies should be ready to send the samples of their Vintage Ports.
By getting all the samples it will occurs then a blind tasting and several chemical analysis at the IVDP.
If the tasting profile matches the high standards for Vintage Port and if all is approved on the laboratory, IVDP will approve the batch for bottling. But the process will continue in a near future, in this particular case, immediately before the bottling.
The information of when the bottling takes place must be given to the IVDP, so that the IVDP inspectors can be at the bottling area or warehouse to count the number of bottled bottles and ensure that the quality is the same that has been tasted a few months ago at the IVDP facilities, for that they will collect five samples / bottles that will pass through the same IVDP´s certification process.
Then there is also a interesting subject that is the classic and non classic Vintage Port declarations, how is it defined ?
Well, apart from the exceptional weather conditions that will lead to great berries and if it was declared a "Vintage Confraria" (Brotherhood Vintage), meaning that over than ten Port wine Companies have declared Vintage, also the announcement of a massive declaration by the media ( the exemple of the latest Vintage 2011, with 55 Vintages approved)...these are normally the key elements that are being used to define a classic or non classic Vintage Port declaration.
Port wine Brotherdood - it is a independent Brotherhood created in November of 1982 with its headquarters at "Palácio da Bolsa" side by side with the IVDP´s building, it is a independent organization that gathers all the Port wine Companies with a warehouse or depot at Vila Nova de Gaia.
The backstage of a full Vintage Declaration
The importance of 2011 Vintage Port
2011 Vintage Port had a incredible and wide declaration from the major Port wine brands and smaller and independent producers in the Douro valley.
The older and traditional brands have declared a full House Vintage Port, meaning that when the internationally recognized companies do it, it is obviously a classic Vintage and the market will certainly claim for these Vintages.
Most of the oenologists are amazed with the quality of this particular year, the 2011 Vintage Port shows its own identity.
In the last decade we (Port wine trade) had in general three classic Vintage declarations: 2000; 2003 and 2007.
In the field there were perfect climate conditions during the year which permitted to grow outstanding grapes; there were perfect climate conditions during the year which permitted to grow outstanding grapes; enough rainfall and equivalente hours of sun exposition to get the perfect maturation.
At our Winery, all the vinification process has been closely supervised.
2011 was followed by a year (2010) of poor and lower quality, the 2011 is the first classic Vintage of this current decade, it reminds the release of the emblematic Vintage 2000.
A Vintage declaration creates a great impact in the media, when it is released the press will write about Port, although the Vintage Port represents only 0.5% of the annual production it is crucial to increase the sales and for the image of Port in general (White; Ruby and Tawny categories).
Full of color and intense aromas, our DALVA Vintage 2011, shows an amazing elegance and freshness on both nose and palate, complexity of the fruit, raspberry conserve, floral and slightly peppered with chewy tannins.
"All harvests have their particular characteristics, but what excited us in 2011 was the maturation of the red grapes, which gave colour and tannin levels higher than I had ever seen in my 24 years of making Port in the Douro. It was an early harvest: levels of phenolic compounds in the vineyards at river level developed at least two weeks ahead of normal, with a similarly early development of sugars and aroma compounds. The wines were thus rich in color and tannin, with the best showing enormous persistence and aromas of well-matured fruit. After two years of ageing and development of our Vintage Port 2011, it has a tremendous aromatic potential, with floral notes and forest fruits dominating; its exceptional body and supple tannin structure give a long and exuberant palate.”
Jorge Dias, General Manager of C. da Silva and Gran Cruz added:
“We are very excited about the quality and potential of 2011 Vintage. This is one of those years that justify saying that Vintage Port is a gift of the Gods, reflecting the essence of the terroir of the Douro region, and it is a long time since we have seen such a classic Vintage. In the troubled times in which we live, we believe this represents great value for money.”
C. da Silva declares Vintage 2011
C. DA SILVA DECLARES 2011 VINTAGE PORT
The last bottles of Golden White 1952
Hello Port Lovers,
As you all know the amazing Golden White 1952 / Dalva Colheita is arriving to the end (unfortunately) less than 120 liters. A myth ! The first White Port Colheita that really changed the way that people used to look to White Port.
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| Golden White 1952 oak cask...the last of a classic ! |
White Port was considered the baseline of Port wines range, used for a cocktail or mixed with tonic water, as Port tonic, in a tumbler with a lemon slice and a mint leaf...refreshing but not respected.
| DALVA GOLDEN WHITE 1952 |
Decades of evaporation have concentrated this extraordinary wine almost to an essence.
Made exclusively with white grapes.
Nowadays C. da Silva Cellar only makes the Dalva Golden White 1952 bottling by request, allowing the continuity ageing process of the Golden White in the unique oak cask.
It presents us with a outstanding " bouquet", dry fruit shell, nougat, honey, caramel, vanilla, toffee, smoke, tobacco and iodine... Toasted with an amazing silky texture...
To the rest of the world...
Based in Vila Nova de Gaia, since 1926, our cellars were the key that opened the door to export.
Here we held more than thirty regional representations that ensured the distribution of a wide variety of alcoholic beverages, such as Port Wines, Aged Brandy, sparkling wines, red table wines and Rosé.
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| 2900 seasoned oak casks ageing a unique Port wine |
Initially our customers were from the other side of the Atlantic, namely Brazil and USA, where our company had privileged contacts.
For the american market we have another brand, Presidential, altough it is the same Port wine, we are using a diferent name and packaging too.
The annualy overall sales about 3,500,000 bottles, our wide range of White and Colheita Ports have a significant importance.
With sales increasing and a perpetual desire to achive better quality. C. da Silva invested more than 2.500.000€ in the vinification center , at Alvações do Corgo, between 1998/99.
Nowadays 14 millions euros on the construction of a winery and a depot for logistics and storing, at Sanfins do Douro
The vineyards are situated in the demarcated region of the Douro valley, the Port wine´s cradle, the wines are produced under truly exceptional conditions on terraces.
To assure a great quality control we are keeping the tradition of purchasing the grapes from small grape growers.
Although produced and processed from grapes harvested 119 kms northeast from Oporto city, the Port Wine matures in Vila Nova de Gaia, where most of the Port wine traders have their Cellars and headquarters.
Our company, C. da Silva (Vinhos) SA has been blessed with a real charismatic mansion surrounded by gardens in the downtown. A mansion dated from the beginning of the 20th century coated with a brazilian style where we hope in a very near future to open its doors to tourism, altough our facilities aren´t huge, there are 10,000 square meters with traditional details that are being used as a shelter to 8,000,000 liters... it is in short a real cosy atmosphere.
The yeast... how important is it ?
A key element, very important in the wine making process, is the yeast. And why is it so important, although measuring 0.003 mm,? Because this live micro-organism transforms the fructose in the grape ethanol, the alcohol present in the wine.
Yeast are all the same ?
No. The yeast that lives in a vineyard of white grape veritals is a different one of the one living in a vineyard of red grape varietals. They are all different, depending of the country or region.
And what are the best?
They all provide different aromas and it is the winemaker that must to choose according to each style or the House goal.
Once that the grapes arrived to the winery, the winemaker has two options: rely on indigenous yeast which is adapted to the local terroir forever, or use a yeast, which most likely originates from another region, possibly in another country, and that was developed in the laboratory to carry out the fermentation in a certain direction of aromas and flavors.
In the Douro region there are two scenarios, depending on whether we are talking about Port Wine or DOC Douro (still wine)...in general for Port wine the quantity is reduced when it takes on using selected yeasts. On the other hand, and contrary to Port wine, for Douro DOC wines, a generous number of producers of quality wines have been using selected yeasts.
The fact that, within the same region, have a type of wine made with foreign yeast and other with indigenous is not surprising given the history of wine.
The Port is a world reference, it has been is copied and falsified in many wine regions of the world.
But due to the uinque weather and soil characteristics together with a long portuguese know-how of the grape growers, the winemakers, the cellars masters, passing from generation to generation since the 17th century, nowhere in the world can make a wine as fantastic as the Port that is in the Douro.
Port Wine winemakers believe that the best yeast for Port wine is the one that is found in the vineyards.
Port wine... how important is it ?
Port wine was, and is, a key product for the National economy and even more a symbolic asset that represents Port througout the world.
The designation Port wine appeared during the second half of the 17th century due to an incredible expansion of Douro viticulture and a rapid growth in wine exports.
It all began in 1680, on that time there were political diferences between the french prime minister, Colbert and King Charles II from UK.
These political diferences led both countries to the Augsburg battle in 1688, forcing the british royalty to send merchants seeking for alternative wine sources, Italy, Spain but most of all the North of Portugal.
As the brithish people´s taste started to become more sofisticated, the merchants went into the core of the Douro valley where the quality was amazing.
In 1703 the Methuen treaty, for the wine exports Portugal was paying 2/3 of the exportation fees to U.K. while on the other hand Portugal was buying the textiles from the british.
Between 1710 and 1740, the Port era, the ships departed from Porto, that was a very important seaport located in the mouth of the Douro river heading towards England and abroad.
In England there were merchants with wagons pulled by horses waiting to load the oak casks, afterwards they would go to the castles and in the private cellars or warehouses the merchants staff would made the bottling.
Port was not a nobility drink, people drank Port in the taverns with a mug directly from the casks.
Elderberry and sugar were added to wine and everyone wanted to become a grape grower, so the quality decreased.
In order to stop with a lack of both quality and territorial coordination, in 1756 the portuguese prime minister, the Marquis de Pombal, ordered the distribution of 335 milestones along 250.000 hects.
Nowadays there are 45700hects cultivated and 39100 grape growers, Port is strictly controlled by the Port wine Institute inspectors and thousands of chemical analysis annualy made, before each Port producer gets the bottling approval.
